Marquis Straightens Out Paperwork, Wins Title

There were some anxious moments for Kristen Marquis of Santa Margarita after her second time on the springboard at the Southern Section Division I diving finals Wednesday at Heritage Park in Irvine.

Her first two dives didn’t conform with the entry form at the judges’ table.

Marquis, a junior, admitted she changed her routine, but claimed she had submitted a new form. For a while it appeared Marquis would be penalized.

But after a delay, judges found Marquis’ new entry underneath a pile of papers. It didn’t include Marquis’ required signature, but officials decided to let her continue and Marquis went on to place first, staving off a solid finish by Michelle Brown of Dana Hills.

Marquis (555.60), finished strongly on her final two attempts, ahead of the hard-charging Brown (524.40) and Edison’s Kellie Brennan (516.20). Tiffany Manning of Capistrano Valley (492.30) finished fourth.

Orange County divers took 12 of the top 14 places.

Marquis said she used the delay, as nerve-racking as it was, to calm herself.

“My second dive wasn’t that good,” she said, “so I used the time to think about my dives and it worked for me.”

The Division I title was up for grabs because defending division champion and Southern Section record-holder Erica Sorgi left Capistrano Valley to join the U.S. national team.

Marquis, Brown, Brennan and Manning were locked in a tight battle after five rounds. After eight of 11 dives, Marquis began to assert herself.

Brown overcame Brennan on the final dive.

In boys’ diving:

El Toro’s Troy Vincent spent much of the afternoon studying the technique of winner Troy Dumais of Ventura Buena, even though Dumais had two poor dives. Brice Dumais finished second and Vincent, a sophomore, was third.

Troy Dumais, a senior and defending champion, built a big lead and hung on. Afterward, he was about as agitated as the chop on the pool water on the blustery afternoon.

“I was surprised he missed those final dives,” Vincent said. “But I think he did awesome. If he gets more points than the rest of us, he wins. He should be happy.”

Vincent finished strong, getting an 8.0 from one judge on his final dive, a back, 1 1/2 somersault, 2 1/2 twist.

“It’s one of the harder dives to do,” Vincent said of the 2.8-degree of difficulty. “It’s a confident dive for me and a good way to end the competition.”

It’s expected Brice Dumais will battle Vincent for the title next year. A Dumais has won each of the last four Division I finals.